It’s your duty to buy the only duty-free electric roadster, the MG Cyberster.
We’re entering the third quarter of 2025, and that means the Malaysian car industry is about to go through a once-in-a-lifetime change. At the end of this year, fully-imported electric vehicles will be hit with excise duty and import taxes. For most of the industry, this is going to mean a shift in focus away from the exotic and towards the mass market. So, just in case you haven’t already picked up your MG Cyberster, maybe it’s time to rush in and order one because there’s no way this will be locally-assembled. Hopefully, there will still be one in stock, though if you can’t find the AWD model in showrooms, the 2WD version might actually be the better deal, find out why later on in this article.
The MG Cyberster is truly a one-of-a-kind vehicle, and one that is worth every sen of its RM320,000 asking price, at least to us. It works on so many dimensions as a statement car. It works on the shallowest level as the last British roadster. It works as a symbolic triumph (no pun intended) of East over West, after all MG is now owned and operated by SAIC. It also works as a slap on the face of Tesla, the purported leaders in electric vehicles, who promised a new Roadster almost a decade ago now.
Laugh in the face of every tax-dodging multi-millionaire forced to hide their supercar in Langkawi while you get to enjoy scissor doors and top down enjoyment while ‘robbing’ the customs department of their precious excise duties. Most ‘super’ electric vehicles, even those sold by the likes of Porsche and Lotus have four doors. This one has two and an electric drop top that works in seconds. Oh and in case it didn’t sink in the first time we mentioned it, SCISSOR DOORS! The MG Cyberster is teeming with symbolism and irony and there’s really nothing like it in the Malaysian market and nothing like it in the world. This car should be worth millions but is priced at just RM320,000.
So it really baffles the mind that it’s priced at around the price of a BMW 330i M Sport. To me, if you want a one-of-a-kind statement car or a weekend car that none of your friends would even think about – this is it. At least in principle. Beyond this wild fantasy of what the Cyberster represents, is there any substance to the package it offers customers? Well, yes and no.
The MG Cyberster has a high-output all-wheel drive set-up and a large battery – this means that it’s heavy but it’s also capable of moving itself REALLY quickly. Unfortunately, as far as roadsters are concerned, the MG Cyberster isn’t a great example. The Mazda MX-5 is the roadster perfected. Lightweight, small and willing engine with barely any power, compact and agile. The Cyberster is almost the opposite. It’s large and GT-like in character, but not enough of a lightfoot to put a smile on your face in the corners. This is more of a straight-line speed kind of car with adequate braking and cornering ability. And with 544PS and 725Nm of torque available, it’s almost too powerful to be pushed to its limits. At its limits, it’s a computer dialing things back rather than your own skill that’s keeping you alive.
So it cruises comfortably at high speed at ease but doesn’t inspire you to engage in canyon carving. It sits in that spot once occupied by cars like the Mercedes-Benz SLK or perhaps the current CLE. If you reframe it as a convertible electric GT rather than an electric roadster, the Cyberster works better but not perfectly.
The issue is that most GTs are designed around the concept of long distance driving and with just 444km of range at best, the Cyberster isn’t exactly exemplary in that category either. DC fast charging is respectable at 144kWh. You can charge the battery from 10% to 80% in under 40 minutes but charging at home is really as slow as it gets with just 7kW AC charging for a 10.5 hour overnight charge to 100% from flat. With the climate control and battery management system keeping temps in check, Malaysians can expect closer to 380-400km on a full charge if keeping to the speed limit.
The solution? Don’t think of it as a roadster and don’t think of it as a GT either. The Cyberster is a statement car and it’s the only one of its kind and it’s drives respectably well. It can be pushed hard without showing any clumsiness at all. It’s as fast as anything else out there in AWD form, but if anything it’s a little too fast for how heavy it is. There’s a new 2WD variant out for less money that could be more suited to the fundamental character of the car, which is suited to simple top down guilt-less fun in the sun with the whole town looking on in jealousy or admiration. I think they started off with the AWD model just because it would be a little awkward for an RM320,000 vehicle to be outperformed by a smart #1 BRABUS costing much less money. With the AWD model and its SUPER SPORT button, you’re getting straight line speeds that are up there with the best.
Overall, there aren’t any substantial complaints on my part with regards to how it handles rough roads or tight corners. It simply ticks the boxes you’d expect for this sort of car. The worst I can say about the car is ‘at least they got it done, where’s everyone else in this race?’.
Practically speaking, it’s actually plenty usable, especially compared to many sporty alternatives. Sure, there are only 2 seats, but the seats are wrapped in faux suede, wide, supportive enough, and comfy. Behind the seats, there’s enough space for 2 backpacks and a small overnight bag, and this area features cargo nets to keep things in place. It’s honestly a very usable amount of space, and this is just the cabin we’re talking about. Despite the electrically folding hard top, the Cyberster still manages to package in a boot that isn’t the size of a mailbox. At just under 250 litres, it could easily store a medium-sized hard-cased check-in bag or several duffel bags. You’ll still need a practical hatch to do any kind of serious luggage moving though. It’s also unfortunate that the Cyberster does not feature a frunk.
What about the scissor doors? Well, these are both a design feature but a fundamental part of how the car is operated. They’re completely electronic and can be opened via the remote control or via a button on the door if you’re standing next to the car or via switches in the centre console or through the software interface.
In the event of an electronics failure or insufficient battery charge, there’s a manual release lever behind the occupants, this is hydraulically assisted but still quite a chore to lift up on pure muscle strength. In the event of a rollover, well pray to the Gods of gravity that Cyberster ends the roll on its feet. You have rollover hoops for safety, but there’s no practical solution to opening scissor doors with all that weight on it.
The scissor doors feature ultrasonic sensors to prevent them from colliding into walls or people. It takes a bit of getting used to NOT standing next to the car when opening the doors as they’ll just come to a stop when they detect you there. You need to instead stand around where the rear wheels are and press the button from there, thankfully it’s a two-door, so it’s not as difficult as you might think.
Getting into the car is best done ‘rear-end first’, as with any other lowered vehicle. Instead of ‘climbing in’, turn away from the seat and squat into the vehicle, then rotate yourself to get your legs in.
The cabin of the MG Cyberster is laid out asymmetrically and there is a certain logic to it though it does falter in places. Let’s get the positives out of the way first.
The leather and suede used, though of synthetic origin, are absolutely top-notch in terms of quality and feel. The colour choice is good, and you have options for a grey cabin too. Build quality is also extremely high.
Parts are bolted together really well with little play, no squeaky bits, no cheap feeling plastic parts. While it’s not up there with the Lexus LC in terms of its artistic vision or engineering execution, the MG Cyberster’s interior is respectable, with a touch of flair, good materials and nice equipment. One functional design element is the gear selector mechanism, which is a line of alternating buttons and levers that make some intuitive sense after repeated use.
You’ve also got paddle shifters that control the vehicles brake regeneration strength (Kinetic Energy Recovery System or KERS) on the left side and the drive mode on the right side.
A nice touch was the area around the cupholders that appeared to be made out compressed crushed or forged carbon fibre. It’s quite a unique little touch, though we would have liked to see it in at least one or two more spots insteady of the glossy black plastic.
You’ll probably feel a little bit overwhelmed by the number of displays here, but there’s a method to the madness.
On the far right, one display is dedicated to vehicle statistics, service centre locations/appointments, profiles and user settings. Think of this as the multi-info display most cars have between your speedo and tacho.
The centre screen displays speed, and some condensed trip computer info alongside the time and relative power output. Think of this as your typical driver’s info display for real time drive related information.
On the left flank you get your media and navigation display. Typically, one would just connect Apple Carplay and have that projected on this part.
Finally over on the centre console, you have one portrait oriented display for things like climate control, media volume, and drive modes – think of this as the screen that eliminates as many physical switches as possible.
Of course, you still have a row of capacitive buttons for the defogger, fan speed control, temperature, hazard lights and parking camera activation.
They haven’t been able to get rid of all the buttons, and some of the ones that remain look like they were taken out of an SAIC parts bin. Thankfully, these are hidden away by the driver’s knee.
Conceptually, I quite like that they’ve given you a triple screen cockpit with an additional fourth screen, but the execution is not perfect. The first issue I have is that none of the displays are particularly bright and they’re all very reflective. It’s usable in darker environments and when the top is down, but in Malaysian sunlight with the roof down you really need to squint to understand what’s being shown. They also don’t appear to be laminated, so there’s a bit of an airgap between the interface and the surface that your finger touches. It makes an otherwise futuristic concept look very dated. The final issue is that the fourth display by the gear selector buttons was easily scratched. We’re not sure if the scratches were on a screen protector or on the actual surface itself but it looked really bad especially considering we were the first to take the car and it looked like that right away.
Design
Outside, there’s no question that the Cyberster is a head turner. Just a quite look at the silhouette and you’ll notice hints of Italian flavour. I don’t think most people have a problem with the overall shape of the car, but it’s the details that many take issue with. Some of it can come across as a little tacky. I have my own view on which criticisms are valid and which aren’t.
The first area I’d like to tackle is the rear light graphic. It’s really not the most organic look. The two arrows don’t immediately sit right with most sensibilities, but I think that it’s at least iconic and distinct. It’s got elements of the Union Jack split apart while also doubling as turn signal indicators. Some find that a little too on the nose and tacky, complaining about how MG isn’t even British anymore but are completely OK when MINI, German-owned for 2 decades now, implements an even lazier interpretation in their taillight graphic. To me, this design criticism is a subjective one, you’re entitled to not like it but it doesn’t make you right.
The second area is the graphics within the headlight cluster. I’m not sure what the general consensus is around this design, but personally I feel it’s just too ‘gamer’ inspired. On a vehicle with such sleek bodywork, finding zig zagging lines and busy patterns just feels very immature and out of place. I wish that I understood what they were going for, but I personally think it’s not very good.
I’m also not the biggest fan of the rim design – it feels a little generic on such an ambitious vehicle.
Again, this is probably a subjective comment, the wheel isn’t at all bad looking, it’s just a matter of taste. As ridiculous as it sounds, I think 20 inches may be a little small for a vehicle of this class.
I think the most valid design criticism goes to the use of glossy black on the trim around the Cyberster’s A pillar and and surrounding the roof. It scratches super easily and will likely exhibit swirls upon your first polishing. I also don’t particularly like how the roof mechanism has huge gaps for things to fall in when the roof is stowed.
I don’t expect weather sealing, but at least enough rubber gaskets to stop twigs and such from falling into the holes and creating future issues. In my infinite wisdom, I failed to take a photo of those gaps, but they are there!
If I may level one more criticism that’s design related, it would be this contrived need to reach for MG’s heritage. The side sill has a little decal celebrating MG’s 100th Anniversary and the key fob has ‘The Roaring Raindrop’ embossed on it. Even as an enthusiast I had to Google what exactly that was and I’m still not convinced that the Cyberster is positioned as a spiritual electric successor to that land speed record project. It comes across as a little desperate. They ought to just carry on with creating new vehicles that will define that NEXT 100 years of the brand’s success without needing to remind everyone that it’s not the same company it used to be 100 years ago.
All-in-all, it’s hard to fault the way the MG Cyberster was designed. I had it over a relatively quiet weekend in KL and just about everyone I met asked for a photo of the car or asked to be driven around in it. That’s the effect of a car that’s genuinely special and it’s really rare for a vehicle to generate such a reaction even in this era of new groundbreaking designs.
If you’ve made it to the end of this article, I must say thank you for taking the time. But on the off chance that you only have this much time because you’ve already made your millions, I URGE you to go into an MG showroom and buy a duty-free Cyberster while you can. Buy it to make a statement. Buy it to celebrate the once in a lifetime change we’re experiencing in the motoring industry.
Buy it as payback for all that income tax you’ve been paying. Buy it as revenge for colonialism’s role in removing you from your roots.
Buy it because even when the battery warranty expires and you can’t afford to get it replaced, it’ll still look good on your front porch even with the top up. Buy it for all of us that can’t and buy it because you can. But do it while you can because you’ve only got about 3 months left to do it.
MG Cyberster Twin Motor Electric Specifications
Motor: Dual Motor (AWD)
Charging Speed: 150kW DC (10-80% in 38 minutes), 7kW AC (10.5 hours full)
Max power: 503PS
Max torque: 725Nm
Top Speed: 208 km/h
0-100 km/h: 3.2 seconds
Driving Range: 446km
Selling Price: RM319,900
